As a visitor to our Spirituality and Religion services, you may wonder what you can do to strengthen your own connection to spirit to enliven your life, reduce your anxieties and get closer to your purpose. You may even wonder what it means to "connect to spirit" and how a spiritual advisor cultivates the capacity to do so. Let's start there.Connecting to spirit means that you utilize your natural capacity to quiet your mind and still your worries long enough to hear again the voice of the Friend within you who holds the greatest wisdom for your life, the warmest arms for your concerns, and the most courageous heart to help you on your journey. Each of us, no matter our history, religious background, personal preoccupations or prior "failings" can connect to that Friend within. Each of us has a relationship with that Friend, whether or not we have consciously cultivated it.Before you try to purposefully connect with your inner Friend, you may want to check in to see how much focus you've put into the relationship in the past-this gives you a baseline from which to start in considering how to strengthen the connection in your future.

Ask yourself, do I take a moment each day to sit with myself? One moment dedicated to the cultivation of this relationship can create a ripple of positive outcomes in your life. You do not need extended time-one conscious moment to check in and affirm your importance is the first step to cultivating your enduring conscious relationship to source.

Ask yourself, when I am running into difficulties, do I pause and ask for help? Do I quiet my mind, form a picture of source, and directly request support for troubles? Imagine that the inner Friend is waiting to be helpful and is chagrined when the opportunity for that help goes by unrequested.

Ask yourself, when I celebrate my good fortune, do I acknowledge my Friend? Do I believe that nothing is accomplished alone, or do I assume my singular efforts paid off? If it is your efforts alone, then the path to future success requires more effort. If it is your efforts energized by source, then the path will never be too challenging and successes will be markers of the strength of your collaboration with the Friend.

If you wish to actively nurture your relationship to the Friend within, you will eventually need to set aside time for quiet contemplation or meditation on the connection. But, let's say your life or your heart is not in a place right now where it feels you can do so. Instead, here is an exercise you can do to begin the connection, in a manner that makes you feel well-held by the Friend, and encourages you to go deeper into the discovery of what the relationship might be.Sit in a chair. Put your feet firmly on the ground. Close your eyes. Take a breath. Place your hands at your side. Now, lift your hands slightly, extending your arms, palms upward, as if you are waiting for someone to place something soft and warm in your hands, like a baby bird. Count to 5. On the 5th count, imagine the baby bird is now in your hands. Bring your hands gently together, as if you are cuddling the baby bird. Now, imagine that safe, warm hands are cuddling your hands, in turn, helping keep the chick warm.You have made a connection to the Friend. The chick is a gift to you. Put the chick, in your imagination, somewhere safe, and each day, for a moment, send the chick, with your imagination, goodness to grow with. As the chick grows, so does your connection.Article by: LivePerson Expert Spiritual Medium Ria